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Dana White claims the UFC roster is too full. Is a purge coming?

Following his first round knockout victory over Darrell Montague at UFC 166, No. 2 ranked flyweight John Dodson pleaded with the UFC to give him a fight in the very near future.

Dodson's Knockout of the Night performance came in the opening fight of Saturday's pay-per-view card. It was Dodson's first fight since he dropped a decision to UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in January of this year. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Dodson said:

Please don't put me on the bench. Don't put me on the bench for another six months. I want to go within one or two, one day. I don't care, just give me somebody I want to fight.

When asked why a fighter ranked so high in his division would be forced to sit so long between fights UFC president Dana White had some ominous words for the assembled media:

I keep telling you guys our roster is too full. Guys have to get fights and every time after a show when we cut a guy, people say ‘F--k you Dana White, you're an idiot.' Shut up the f -- k up and let us run our business. The roster is too full.

We want to be good to the guys who deserve us being good to. Guys like [Yushin] Okami. I like Okami. I like him a lot. He's a great guy, but when guys lose and are at a certain point of their careers or whatever the case may be, they have to be cut so guys like Dodson can continue to fight. We are in a situation where if a guy doesn't fight, we still have to pay them. That's not good either. Guys want to fight. Guys like Dodson want to stay busy and active. They want to fight.

White doesn't come right out and say it, but it sounds as if there may be a purge of the UFC roster on the horizon.

Wait, sooo how does cutting Okami have anything to do with Dodson needing to fight?
Isnt the reason why Dodson can't get another fight soon because the other 6 flyweights in the UFC are booked? You need to cut a top 5 MW for the sake of bringing in a 125lber so Dodson can fight? What about someone like Melvin Guillard, Mac Danzig, Chris Leben, or any other fighters who never cracked the top 10 in their division and had less than stellar UFC record.

He will cut the guys that are not exciting and that are not big draws.
Obviously he will throw lame excuses but at the end it is all about money. Guys that bring him money will stay, guys that do not, will go out.

Wait, sooo how does cutting Okami have anything to do with Dodson needing to fight?
Isnt the reason why Dodson can't get another fight soon because the other 6 flyweights in the UFC are booked? You need to cut a top 5 MW for the sake of bringing in a 125lber so Dodson can fight? What about someone like Melvin Guillard, Mac Danzig, Chris Leben, or any other fighters who never cracked the top 10 in their division and had less than stellar UFC record.

Less fighters, means more room on each card for the fighters left. I don't understand how the UFC has doubled(I think) the amount of shows they put on a year,but can't handle the large roster they have. I don't think cutting top fighters to make room for other weight classes is the answer.

Originally Posted by Trojan Fight Club

well now I've seen War Machine's dick. fantastic.

Originally Posted by GL Jeff

Ill go against the grain.
Werdum via triangle
Someone needs to cheer for those poor souls.

keep telling you guys our roster is too full. Guys have to get fights and every time after a show when we cut a guy, people say ‘F--k you Dana White, you're an idiot.' Shut up the f -- k up and let us run our business. The roster is too full.

Clearly he's missing the point. I think the general consensus is that he's a fucking idiot, only when they cut a top 10 guy. Where there are other fighters who occasionally hit the top 10 briefly, lose multiple fights in a row, but stick around simply because they are perceived as "entertaining".

Chris Leben - 3 losses in a row.
Brandon Vera - won once in the past 4 years.
BJ Penn - 1-4-1 in last 6.
Frank Mir - 3 losses in a row.
Yoshihiro Akiyama - 4 losses in a row, with only 1 win in the UFC.
Thiago Silva - Before past 2 wins, was 1-3-2. The "2" obviously being for failed drug tests.
Wanderlei - 4-7 and hasn't put together a 2 fight win streak since '06.
Mac Danzig - 3-7 in last 10, 5-7 total in UFC.

Leonard Garcia - Lost 5 in a row before being cut.
Joe Stevenson - Lost 4 in a row before being cut.
Tito Ortiz - 1-7-1 before being cut.

Then there's Yushin Okami who was on a 3 fight win streak before loosing once & being cut, and Jon Fitch who was 1-2-1 in his last 4 in the UFC (after a previous 13-1 UFC record). Yeah, seems legit.

People keep saying how LW divison was also criticized but now everyone likes it so same will happen eventually to the 125 division.
Not true at all, it is a huge minority that cares about that division.

Dana White says that he is not an idiot, then he says that he cut Okami so Dodson can continue to fight. What makes him that?

He cut Okami simply because he had to pay him good amount of money and Okami is not a spectacular fighter and is not a draw either.